


A Series Of Firsts

by OnyxKitten93



Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-22 09:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13761312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxKitten93/pseuds/OnyxKitten93
Summary: I apologize if I used any pronouns wrong, this is my first time writing with non-binary characters but hopefully I get better and better each time I have a non-binary character.





	1. A Three Letter Word

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize if I used any pronouns wrong, this is my first time writing with non-binary characters but hopefully I get better and better each time I have a non-binary character.

Schneider had integrated himself so far into the Alvarez family that when Victor had come back to visit for the first time since attempting to patch things up with Elena, Schneider had already made up the couch. After allowing Victor and Elena to catch up for some time, he began heading down for another one of Lydia’s devine coffee’s when he heard raised voices of his temporary roommate and adoptive family member inside Pen’s apartment. Unable to make out the words through the door, but hearing the voices grow louder and more agitated, Schneider uses his keys and opens the door to a flushed and distressed Elena, looking in shock at her father with tears in her eyes. Still not noticing the bespeckled man with his back turned, Victor continues his spiel while Schneider becomes more and more upset from the door. 

“I thought you’d grow out of this phase by now, but THAT? That is not normal.” Victor admonishes angrily, pointing towards the framed photo of her and Syd kissing happily at her school dance, courtesy of Alex and Schneider. 

“They’re name is Syd and I love them. They make me happy and want what’s best for me. Just like I do them. I thought you wanted what’s best me Papi?” Elena asks in shock, hurt by her father’s harsh words and lack of understanding. 

“I do, but that- whatever it is, isn’t it.” At Victor’s harsh words, Schneider frowns and carefully closes the door behind, giving a nod to Elena. 

Victor simply shakes his head and turns to leave the apartment while Schneider gathers up Victor’s things, hands Victor his suitcase in front of the door with all of his belongings and calls an Uber, telling him to get out of the building until he was ready to apologize to his daughter, not knowing exactly who’s daughter he was referring to, his or Victor’s and the thought gives him a brief pause.  
Impressed with his brief lack of fear against a former soldier, Schneider allows himself a small smile before realizing how he came to be on the front steps of his building in the first place. 

“Elena!” He quickly runs back upstairs and bursts through the door, sitting beside her on the couch and trying to get her to breathe by rubbing her back, heartbroken by the downturned lips and drying tears. 

“He’s in an Uber on the way to a hotel to calm down. I’m sure he’ll get a hold of himself and he’ll apologize. You’re his daughter and he loves you.” Schneider attempts to comfort and Elena gives him a watery smile and tries to breath before breaking down again. 

“I just thought- After all this time...He’d accept me for who I am. He’s my Papi and- He still thinks there is something wrong with me. Wrong with Syd and being in love with them.” She says weakly, another tear escaping but she quickly brushes it away with the back of her hand before attempting to regain her composure, despite the slight hiccup. 

“I’m sure he’ll understand eventually. He is your Papi and he loves you very much. I’m sure he’ll even grow to love Syd just as much as we do.” He says with an easy smile and gives her a tight but brief hug and stands up with a hand toward Elena. 

“Maybe he just needs more time.” He says seriously and Elena can’t help but stand with him and give him another tight hug before stepping back with a slight smile. 

‘You’re my family and I accept you no matter what, we love you and Syd makes you happy so we love her. That’s all you need to worry about. Your dad, sorry, your Papi, will come around in his own time.” He says with a positive lilt in his voice but concern and a flash of anger in his eyes.

“Schneider-” She tries to begin, wanting to thank him for all his support even before she came out and more but he simply shakes his head and reaches for the coffee maker while looking at it curiously. 

“Now, let's see if I can crack your Abuela’s secret coffee recipe. Hint’s are not only welcomed but appreciated. It’s been over than four hours since I got my last cup.” He says with a goofy smile, his ‘fatherly’ expression now replaced by the more familiar childish mischief. 

After over an half hour of comfortable companionship in near silence while Elena attempts to focus on finishing her homework and Schneider trying to prevent himself from getting third degree burns, the older of the two suddenly whoops in triumph. 

“Did someone say coffee for two?” He presents with a flourish and Elena can’t help the smile that brightens her features and warms Schneider’s heart to hear her laugh after the time with her Papi still fresh in her memory.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Elena ribs him slightly and Schneider has to resist the urge to stick out his tongue but takes a sip, before immediately spitting it out over the sink, causing Elena to nearly fall over with laughter. 

“I...I think this is something best done by the master herself. Your Abuela’s coffee is heavenly and - not even close to whatever that was.” He says still sputtering, eyes wild in disbelief at the monstrosity and Elena continues to laugh before she makes her next comment. 

“It’s ok Schneider, we love you for more than your coffee making skills.” She teases good naturedly and Schneider beams, sitting back down on the couch. 

Seeing the older man’s smile, Elena continues her thought from before and comes beside him with a thoughtful look before turning beside him. 

“Victor may be my Papi. But you will alway be my dad, Schneider. I guess you have been for a while.” She says quietly with a small smile and wraps her arms around the taller man, allowing him to rest his chin on the top of her head and stroke her back. 

“And you’ll always be mi pequeña dama.” He says softly before pressing a kiss to the top of her head and stepping back. 

“Now, how to we clean this up before Pen and your Abuela get bac-” Before he can even finish his sentence, Lydia and Penelope come through the door with wide eyes but small smiles before Alex walks in confused. 

“I’m sorry about the coffee! I’ve never-” Schneider panics and Pen gives him a knowing look before pushing him aside to clean up. 

“ You, Alex and Elena go out for pizza, mama and I will clean up.” She says fondly while Lydia starts to push her forward as well. 

“Come on! Family dinner time! No Alvarez gets left behind!” Schneider jokes and grabs for Pen’s hand before gently sliding his arm around Lydia. 

“Alex can clean up when we get back.” Elena teases rushing out the door and Alex follows in a fierce pace.

“Not if I get there first!” He yells back good naturedly before giving Schneider a beaming smile and running out to catch Elena. 

With that began one of the many first moments when Penelope knew that Schneider really was the one for her and her family.


	2. I Approve!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia knows best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short, but I'm pretty sure after Lydia's stroke that this was she wants for her family, especially because she knows Victor is not the one for Penelope. Schneider is.

When Lydia first met Schneider, despite the drugs, she knew he was a good person and was never disappointed in her belief. 

Despite his addictions and failures attempting to move past his issues, he had come out on top with everything he wanted. A family.

Her family.

When he had been her and Berto’s landlord, he was always happy to help them with any possible fixture, complaint or simply for company for the slightly again couple. Later, when they were to discover Schneider’s drug problem, Lydia can’t help but see her countless fellow Cuban’s in the same position after leaving a country that they had loved so much, alone in a different way. 

After Berto’s death, it only seemed like the right thing to was to visit her ailing landlord in a detox centre as she had with countless relatives, making him promise to keep trying, but this time it was slightly different. 

Lydia understood that even with the greatest faith, a man can fall, especially when he has fallen before but Schneider saw the light at the tunnel, something to strive for as a reason to stay clean. Her, her daughter and grandchildren.

Nearly a year after Elena’s quinces, she saw something that would change the way she viewed Schneider as he dried Elena’s tears, comforting her with the thought that her father would understand eventually, but he loved her no matter what. 

Thinking back, the same could be said for her little papito as well. Baseball games, long trips, advice and friendship had all been given out of love, in a way had been to receive it back, growing closer and closer to Alex as time passed, a joking exclamation of ‘Dad’ in an exasperated tone is even heard. 

It was the same with the rest of the Alvarez household. Penelope, Elena and herself. 

After a long night at the opera with Leslie, Lydia sleeps soundly as her daughter wakes up in the night, nearly screaming in terror while haunted memories plague her subconscious. Most nights she would have woken up to the sound and comforted her daughter, but before the sound could disturb her enough to wake her, the door front door of the apartment opens and Penelope makes her way to Schneider's apartment, no doubt. 

When Lydia wakes up in the morning, waiting for the other three while she makes her coffee, she spies Penelope with a faint smile, the dark circles around her eyes seemed to have faded as she gets ready for work. Smiling to herself, she waits for Elena and Alex to start leaving for the car when she stops Penelope on her way out. 

“I saw you come back Schneider’s at three in the morning, Lupita. You look very happy this morning.” She says in a teasing tone, sure that her daughter would deny it but she does not immediately dismiss the idea to her surprise.

“Mami!” Penelope says instead and shakes her head while making her way out the door. 

“Mente sucia!” She accuses, reminding her of Elena’s quinces once again and Lydia smiles in satisfaction. 

“Lo apruebo!” She calls out to her daughter, who waves her off and shuts the door behind her. 

“By Mami!” She attempts to end the conversation but both smile, knowing that she was right and her daughter was starting to understand as well. 

Schneider loved all of them and Lydia was not going to rest until Penelope understood how deep that love ran through the man who she now shared her life with. 

Just not the way she imagined. 

Yet.


	3. No Correction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Victor realize the full impact that Schneider has in the Alvarez family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this as a person with a stepmother of a completely different nationality, as this still happens to me all the time.

It had started with Elena, as most things did in the Alvarez household. 

Schneider invited the Alvarez family for ice cream after Alex’s game, getting two home runs and the high praise of his coach. Walking to a ice cream shop nearby, Alex spots one of his friends from the team and goes off, still in view of the counter and is shocked by what he witnesses. 

“Tres chocolates, una fresa y una vainilla por favor.” Schneider orders slowly and the employee smiles gratefully and nods, starting to hand out the ice cream after taking the money and Schneider calls Elena over to help. 

“Te pareces tanto a tu padre.” The shopkeeper smiles at Elena and she blushes surprised but does not correct the man. 

“Gracias.” She says with a slight smile before Penelope and Lydia wave them down to the table. 

“What did he say?” Schneider asks confused and Elena sits down with a small laugh, the rest of the family looking at her and Schneider in question.

“He said I look like my dad.” 

The rest of the family looks at her in shock for a moment but soon moves on, however Elena’s easy acceptance gave Alex pause. 

A few weeks later, Victor came to visit. 

Both himself and Elena refused to see each other, leaving Alex in an awkward position but Elena as well as his mother and abuelita were surprisingly supportive.

“He’s still Papi.” Elena is able to get out supportively before leaving to Syd’s house to avoid her father, Schneider staying in his apartment as well to avoid any conflict. 

Victor had decided he wanted to watch his Papito’s game and took him there alone, proudly watching as his son hit a home run on his first round up to bat but what came after, in a word, hurt. 

One of Alex’s new team mates had come up to Alex while celebrating and asked the most innocent but heartbreaking question.

“Where’s your dad?” 

“Excuse me?” Victor bristles defensively and Papito quickly jumps in. 

“This is my Papi, Schneider is just a family friend.” He defends but his teammate persists.

“So you and Elena have different Dads?” He asks, tilting his head in confusion and Victor stops cold, a surprising stabbing pain in his heart and a dark look in his eyes. 

“No.” Alex says quickly and the young teen seems to feel the tension and he simply nods, telling him that he would see him at school tomorrow.

Victor stays silent until they reach the restaurant, dark expression still remaining until their food is in front of them. Alex starts to eat his burger when Victor nearly erupts. 

“Does Elena tell people that I’m not her father?” He questions intently and Alex hesitates. 

“Ummm...No?” He tries to hedge but seeing his father’s expression he aquieses. 

“Schneider comes to a lot of family stuff so most people think he’s our dad, or at least Elena’s.” He says carefully, not wanting to upset his father or cause more conflict for his sister. 

“Don’t you correct them?” He demands and Alex freezes for a moment before responding. 

“Yeah…” Alex answers vaguely.

“But Elena doesn’t.” Victor finishes and Alex nods with a sigh. 

“After you talked to her last time, Schneider was the one to calm her down, remind her that the rest of the family loves her and Syd for whoever she and they are. Schneider has always supported her, before and after she came out, drives her to rallies and protests when mom can’t and...Does the dad stuff I guess. He’s always there if we need him.” Alex admits with wide eyes and Victor goes nearly silent for the rest of the night, mulling over the fact that he had lost his daughter possibly forever as well as slowly losing the battle for his son’s respect. 

Meanwhile, on the way home, Alex finally understands why that had been so upsetting. He would always be Papi to Elena, but he may never be her father again. Schneider had filled that role and as much as he loved Papi, Schneider had been filling that roll for him as well, he had just been one of the last to notice. 

He had conquered the demons that he still dealt with everyday, the one that his Papi had struggled with but refused to face, even to be a better husband and father. 

Just to be close to his family, to have one to call his own. 

Elena and Abuelita had already seen it, Papi and himself had just realized it and Alex was going to do everything possible to make sure his mother realized it as well. 

Schneider belonged with them.


End file.
